


Memories

by HyperKid



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: A man isn’t dead while his name is still spoken, Beau was wearing his dick all day, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, More Group Hugs, Multi, Other, Technically Molly’s been dead for a while, camping in Xhorhas, cuddle puddles for everyone, missing Molly, nor is a genderfluid tief, not that that helps, soft stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 11:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: There are days when they remember what they’ve lost. All of them hurt, but not all in a bad way. There’s always another story to tell about Mollymauk Tealeaf.





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

> HK: It’s been a crappy day. This is for the first time we’ve had more episodes without Molly than with him.   
> Mollymauk: .... So you’re not going to be letting go then?   
> HK: *hugging tighter* Nope.   
> Mollymauk: *awkward patting* Can’t argue with that. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Molly is gone and that is literally never going to be okay 
> 
> Disclaimers: nope I still don’t own anything

The campsite was beginning to settle for the evening, tents pitched inside Caleb’s bubble, the fire crackling merrily away. Watches had been set, Caduceus and Caleb taking the first watch. But no one seemed quite ready to leave the ring of firelight. 

 

Silence had fallen, a low pop and crackle from the fire the only real sound in the enclosed space. As almost always, it was Jester who broke it. 

 

“I miss Molly,” she sighed, elbows digging into her knees with her chin in her hands. Another moment of quiet followed her seemingly random announcement, no one quite able to meet each others’ eye. Then Beau sighed, wrapping an arm around the tiefling’s shoulders and pulling her into her side. 

 

“Yeah. Me too.” She was the last person expected to speak, though maybe she shouldn’t have been. She’d spent a large part of the day with a rather large reminder. Jester tucked up close to her side, letting her head fall onto the monk’s shoulder. 

 

“Remember when we’d camp in the woods and he’d tell our fortunes and crazy stories from the circus?” 

 

Across the fire, Fjord chuckled softly. 

 

“I remember him tellin’ your fortune half a hundred times, if that counts.” His voice was soft, fond and filled with affectionate warmth. Jester stuck her tongue out at him, a smile playing around her lips. 

 

“He told me how you asked him to do yours when you were on watch together,” she teased, her tone picking up some of the warmth from his. Fjord gasped and clasped a hand to his heart. 

 

“He swore to never tell!” The dramatic gesture brought Jester, Beau, and Nott to giggles, the goblin girl tossing another stick onto the flames. The laughter subsided a moment later as all gazes turned to Yasha. 

 

A line of golden tears shone down one of the aasimar’s cheeks, her gaze a thousand miles away as she stared through the fire. But a faint smile tickled at the corner of her mouth. 

 

“He always was terrible with secrets,” she murmured, her hands clasping tighter around the book she always carried. Her gaze moved slowly up and around the group. “He said they were never any fun at all if you couldn’t share them with someone.” 

 

The moment held taught and tentative for a moment longer. This time it was Nott who broke it with a loud, derisive snort. 

 

“For someone with so many secrets of his own you’d think he’d respect other peoples’.” A smile was tugging at her lips too. 

 

“Oh, he respected them,” Yasha agreed, her own smile widening a little, “he wouldn’t go fishing for them or use them to hurt anyone. But harmless, little secrets were made for gossiping.” 

 

“He was such a gossip whore!” Beau laughed with an expansive nod, giving Jester’s shoulder a quick squeeze as the tiefling giggled. She may have been leaning just a little in Yasha’s direction, their shoulders almost but not quite touching. Trying to make a silent, subtle offer of support. 

 

Her declaration broke the silence for sure though as half the group burst into laughter. Even Caleb managed a smile, fingers picking at the sleeves of his coat. 

 

“He liked people,” he murmured, the group quieting to listen. “He would take an interest in anyone, and make them think they were really special.” 

 

“Molly was special,” Jester sighed, pulling her feet up under her butt but and draping her tail across Caleb’s lap, tugging him just a little closer. He shifted without complaint, pulling her feet back out from under her skirt to drape her legs across his knees. Jester giggled but didn’t resist, twisting until she lay across Beau’s lap and tilting her head back to grin at Yasha. “I could use a pillow.” 

 

The barbarian glanced down at the tiefling, then at Beau, silently asking permission. Beau did her best to hide her flustered blush, nodding at once and sticking an arm under Jester’s shoulders to lift her. Yasha smiled and slipped closer, pressing one large thigh to Beau’s from hip to knee and guiding the cleric’s head back down. Jester sighed happily and snuggled into their laps, pressing as close to each stomach as she could and curling her tail around Caleb’s ankle. 

 

Her gaze flicked around the circle to Nott and Fjord on the other side. 

 

“Special was one way of puttin’ it,” Fjord sighed, obediently rising to shuffle along the ring until his knees knocked with Yasha’s and beckoned to Nott. The goblin girl rolled her eyes but didn’t complain, sliding from her own seat on a stump and skipping around the fire to perch beside the half orc. He dropped a hand into Jester’s hair and the tiefling hummed happily and leaned into his touch. One blue hand stretched out and around to tangle her fingers with Nott, who took it in hers and squeezed. A soft, happy trill left Jester’s throat and she snuggled closer. Just like a very large, clingy cat. 

 

Caleb’s smile spread a little wider at the thought and he nodded, fingertips now playing idly across the top of Jester’s skirt over her knees. 

 

“He was a tough act to follow.” 

 

All eyes turned slowly to the last member of the group. Caduceus hadn’t moved, but somehow now he seemed very isolated to be the only one not touching. He gave the clustered group a serene smile. 

 

“I don’t think I’m especially following,” he pointed out lightly. He knew he didn’t have much to contribute when conversation turned to the purple tiefling; he’d never met him. But he always liked to hear about him, whenever anyone wanted to talk. 

 

Almost all of the Molly stories were very interesting, even if he didn’t always understand what was going on. And this seemed like a good evening. That wasn’t always a guarantee. Sometimes things turned maudlin, with everyone falling into silence and guilt choking the air. 

 

But they were all smiling now, all cuddled in close and sharing the happy memories. He didn’t mind being left out of that. 

 

It didn’t really occur to him that they might not want him being left out. 

 

Jester pouted, raising her boots just a little and stretching out one leg to almost poke her toes into his leg. 

 

“We didn’t think you were, Ca-duuuu-ceus,” she dragged his name out, making Beau stifle a snicker with her hand, “but you’re really far away. Aren’t you cold?” 

 

Caduceus raised a brow, smiling slightly as he poked her toe. 

 

“I’m not all that far, and the fire is here. You keep going, don’t mind me.” 

 

There was a moment of uncertainty, then Caleb turned to the firbolg too. 

 

“Are you not comfortable to cuddle up with us while we’re speaking about him?” He asked solemnly. A look of concern shot around the rest of the group and Caduceus shook his head quickly. 

 

“No, no. I like hearing all your stories about Mr Mollymauk. But I didn’t know him, so I don’t want to intrude.” 

 

A relieved smile blossomed across Jester’s face and she sat up a little, reaching out her free arm to gesture him closer. 

 

“Is that all? You’re not intruding, Caduceus! Come cuddle up and Fjord and Caleb can tell you about the time they tried to break into a hospital and Molly had to jump out the window!” 

 

“It wasn’t just Fjord and Caleb,” Nott pointed out haughtily, her nose in the air. Jester tipped her hair back to grin at her. 

 

“No, but you’re not the one who fucked it all up.” 

 

A grin spread across Nott’s face and she nodded, leaning in against Fjord’s side and grinning up at him. 

 

“True. Well, Fjord?” 

 

The half orc made a dramatic face but slipped his arm around her shoulders anyway, raising a pointed eyebrow at Caduceus. It took a moment for the silent message to get through, then Caduceus blinked, surprised. 

 

“Oh, you meant that? I have to come cuddle?” 

 

“Not if you don’t want to,” Caleb said quickly, giving Jester’s knee a quick squeeze, “but we would like you to. You’re one of us now.” 

 

Yasha glanced around the group, a slightly confused smile on her face. 

 

“I don’t think I know this story either,” she said softly and Jester giggled delightedly. 

 

“Oh! You weren’t with us that week, but it was crazy! You wouldn’t believe what Molly did to get in!” 

 

Beau’s face was a picture of fond nostalgia and mild disgust. 

 

“Oh I think she would. It was very Molly.” 

 

“Did you see?” Fjord asked, his own expression intrigued and wary. Beau shook her head at once, sticking out her tongue. 

 

“Not in person, but I got a full review from this one.” She jostled her knees, making Jester bounce. The tiefling giggled delightedly, kicking her legs up and looking over at Caduceus again. 

 

“Quick, come over here so they can tell you! It was a really funny story,” she gave an endearing smile and Caduceus found himself returning it, sliding along the series of stumps to press against Caleb’s side. The wizard relaxed a little at his touch and Jester laid her legs across his lap, careful to keep her boots off his clothing. 

 

They now took up about half of the original circle they’d made, but Caduceus had to admit that the closeness was nice. He still wasn’t quite used to all the casual touch that being with others allowed. He smiled down at the top of Caleb’s head. 

 

“So where was this hospital?” He asked. Jester wriggled across their laps, giggles burbling from her like a mountain stream. At some point Yasha had leaned her arms back on the stumps, leaving one almost around Beau’s waist and the other not quite around Fjord’s. The monk had leaned in apparently without noticing as she turned to face Caleb expectantly, but there was a small smile on her face. 

 

Caleb drew in a deep breath, shooting an almost bashful look at Fjord. 

 

“Well... we were in Zadash. And we needed to get some information about a particular shady gentleman...” 

 

“Not the Gentleman,” Nott added quickly, giving Jester’s hand a squeeze. The tiefling lay back enough to see her upside down again, a slight sadness in her smile and Nott returned a reassuring smile of her own. Caduceus nodded, doing his best to keep up. 

 

It was easy for things to get away from him if he wasn’t careful. 

 

“The Gentleman being the one we think is Miss Jester’s father?” 

 

“The very same,” Fjord agreed with a nod. Caleb cleared his throat. 

 

“Yes... this was a different... individual. And his son happened to work at a hospital that he had taken from its rightful owners.” 

 

“That’d be Dolan,” Beau cut in, maybe solely to make Caleb twitch and shoot her a sharp look. Caduceus did his best not to smile wider. 

 

“If I may be allowed to continue?” The wizard asked pointedly, making Jester and Beau stifle giggles. He waited a moment, then nodded his satisfaction. “Anyway.” 

 

The night dragged on, the moon rising lazily through the Xhorhasian sky, above the city of beasts. No one mentioned that it’d be time for watch to change in an hour or two. There were too many stories to be told, one bleeding into another as they remembered the partner they’d lost. 

 

There was always another story to tell about Mollymauk Tealeaf. He would want no other way. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: hopefully this is nice for everyone to have a lil fluff


End file.
